Assistance In Choosing a CUT!

[DGrenke]

Hello all. This is my first post, as I am a very new member to TBN. I've been reading many of the older threads and have found some great insight into my future tractor purchase. Having said that, I figured what the heck, I might as well ask you fine folks a very similar question that you've all heard quite a few times: What would be an ideal size of tractor for my tasks?

Here's the breakdown. I live up in British Columbia, Canada, in the southern interior. Summers start early, is hot as **** and ends deep in September. Our winters are mild and short compared to the rest of the country . The snow we get is heavy and wet, and it can come in boat loads. I'm purchasing 1 acre of bare, flat land. My plan is to build a 4 bay shop with carriage house above, and build the main house at a later date. I'll be doing almost all of the general contracting myself and I need a CUT for the following:

-Build and maintain approx. 300' of gravel driveway
-landscape areas around house and shop
-Build and maintain approx. 1/2 acre of vegetable garden
-Site prep for greenhouse and small retail space (so the wife can sell her produce)
-Building front gate and installing fencing
-Snow removal
-Maintain all grass areas around property(aeration,power raking,over-seeding,fertilizing,etc.), aside from mowing (I have a 48" Toro 24hp Z-Master for that)

I need an FEL, BH, Roto-tiler, Manure Spreader, Box Blade, Pallet Forks, Utility Blade w/hydraulic actuation ideally(for snow removal). Any other implements that are seasonal use, i will rent.

The tractor sizes that I've been looking at are John Deere 1 and 2 Family, Kubota BX and B, Mahindra Max 28xl HST. HST transmission is a must so the wife can use the tractor too. I know the SCUT are very capable machines and would probably suit me well, however they have some drawbacks that may prove to be limitations in the long run. I'm starting to lean to the next size category up from the 1 family/BX just to have a little more oomph in certain situations. To say the least, I'm at crossroads. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Today I'm going to a fair about an hour away. All the brands will be there showcasing their products, so I'll be able to see all the models in question. Hope everyone is having a great Labour Day long weekend.

Daniel

 

[Tompet]

Welcome to the forum.
It sounds like you have plans to pack in a lot on your property! Actually from what you wrote I think you have a pretty good handle on your wants vs needs or needs vs wants in regards to a tractor!

Anyway, by going to the show and having the opportunity to whittle down the choices from what you listed sounds like a good way to approach your purchase. There is nothing in your plan of purchase I would disagree with and your initial size/model outline.

Maybe post some particulars from the brands you get to look over at the show. Good luck on the equipment search.

 

[jeff9366]

For one acre you do not NEED more than 25-hp. Before moving up from 25-hp, which is the divide, above which engines must have costly Tier IV emissions controls, consider a heavier 25-hp tractor. It is hard for newbies to understand how tractor weight is as important as tractor horsepower, but it is.

So, besides the Kubota BX and B series, consider the new "cheater" Kubota L-2501, which has 25-hp on a 2,600 pound frame.

I need an FEL, BH, Roto-tiler, Manure Spreader, Box Blade, Pallet Forks, Utility Blade w/hydraulic actuation ideally(for snow removal).

Almost all new 25-hp tractors you look at will have an FEL, HST transmission and R-4 industrial tires. To me, a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment is an indispensable force multiplier for 25-hp tractors. Invaluable for tearing out brush, pushing over 3" young trees, great for piling brush. Also pretty good for light grading and fair for garden prep. You buy the Ratchet Rake from the T-B-N store.

Box Blade and FEL would satisfy many for snow removal you described. Small rear blades do not come with hydraulic control capability. I have posted for this myself but no one knows of a vender.

A 25-hp tractor can power a 48" or 54" PTO powered roto-tiller fine. Depending on your soil, you could perhaps make do with a Potato Plow followed by the Ratchet Rake.

Expand on your need for a $5,000 Backhoe and a manure spreader on ONE acre.

Pallet forks normally attach to the bucket on 25-hp tractors. Cantileevered so far forward, leverage is against you and the load you can lift more that 30" - 36" is quite lmited. SSQA (Skid Steer Quick Attach) pallet forks mount directly on the FEL arms (after bucket is taken off) so lift is considerably increased but I do not think you can get SSQA on the tractors you have mentioned. The manufactures worry about liability from tractor rollovers.

Where are you going to keep this equipment where neither your wife nor your neighbors are going to be peeved at the sight? Related to your equipment list, what is your budget? You have spent $45,000 already.

IMPLEMENT LINK: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonl...45263BDD8/11557/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf

KUBOTA L2501 LINK: Compact Tractors | L2501 | Kubota Tractor Corporation

 

[murphy1244]

Do you have a Kioti dealer near you? or even Mahindra?

 

[DGrenke]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Tompet. I still have more due diligence to do on my purchase. Unfortunately I didn't get as much opportunity as I'd have liked to take in all the machinery at the fair. Baby melt down saw to that. I'll be visiting each dealer in the coming weeks to take a good hard look at the tractors that I'm interested in.

Jeff9366:
As I continue my research, I'm finding that 25ish HP will suit me just fine. However the Kubota L-2601 is too much tractor for me. It's almost a full 1000lbs heavier than the B-2601 that I'm considering. Also the turning radius is close to 2' wider on the L than it is on the B. Regarding the BH, my rational for it is the amount of landscaping that I will be doing around the property. Planting trees, irrigation lines, retaining walls, slab for a greenhouse, footings for fence and gate, to name a few. If I had to rent a mini-ex, it would probably be the same cost as the BH attachment in the long run. The spreader is pointless after I thought more about it more. And luckily the shop I'm building will be large enough to house everything. Which leads to the price of this whole setup. The prices in Canada have gone up due to the USD getting stronger. The local JD dealer quoted me $35000 for a 2032r with FEL and BH. Knock off about $4000 for a 2025r. I haven't gotten a complete price check done for any implements as of yet. Nor have I gotten a competitive price from Kubota or Mahindra. But its probably safe to say that $45000 is pretty close to what I listed will run. I still have a long way to go.

Murph:
I do have a Kioti and Mahindra dealers about an hour away from where I live. Both are still in the running.

Daniel

 

[jeff9366]

Regarding the BACKHOE, my rational for it is the amount of landscaping that I will be doing around the property.

Planting trees, irrigation lines, retaining walls, slab for a greenhouse, footings for fence and gate, to name a few.

A Bucket Spade is very fine for planting trees. How many trees will you plant on ONE acre? You need full sun on the garden or you will not harvest enough produce to sell.

For irrigation lines a Potato Plow or a Subsoiler will do fine, with just a little hand shovel work. How many meters of irrigation line will you install on ONE acre?

For your slab(s) a heavy-for-your-tractor Box Blade is what most would use, in preference to a Backhoe. Maybe a Ratchet Rake and possibly a Tooth Bar digging attachment for your FEL bucket as supplements. In some circumstances, some would use the roto-tiller to loosen slab soil. ('Piranha' brand tooth bars receive rave reviews here.)

PIRANHA TOOTH BAR ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=piranha+tooth+bar

Footings for a fence and gate you can be done handily with an FEL bucket with a Tooth Bar attachment. How many gate footings will you install on ONE acre?


I should have placed this LINK in Post #3:

RATCHET RAKE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ratchet+Rake

 

[jeff9366]

The tractor sizes that I've been looking at are John Deere 1 and 2 Family, Kubota BX and B, Mahindra Max 28xl HST. I'm starting to lean to the next size category up from the 1 family/BX just to have a little more oomph in certain situations.

It is hard to get tractor newbies to focus on the Three Point Hitch, the key part of the tractor. Tractors are specialized PULLING machines, which is why most are characterized by large rear wheels, and the Three Point Hitch is where working tools (implements) are attached/mounted.

A Backhoe covers the Three Point Hitch.

One advantage of a 'B' size tractor, over a BX size tractor, is that there is more open space around the Three Point Hitch, which makes mounting implements and connecting the cussed PTO shaft on a roto-tiller to the PTO splines on the tractor easier. There is more open space behind an L2501 then there is behind a 'B' size tractor. Mounting implements goes faster with experience, in the beginning it seems impossibly difficult and exasperating. Making PTO connections is ALWAYS exasperating.

 

[jeff9366]

PARAGRAPH replies, for clarity.

 

[varmint]

Reading thru these replies, which contain some solid opinions, I had a few thoughts. Weight is your helper when it comes to tractor work- little machines like BX's run out of traction before power, I think. A SSQA will prove very useful- don't leave a dealer's without one.

Dragging a rear blade to remove snow works, but an angled front blade works even better- if there's some weight behind it, and possibly chains, but that depends on the surface and the snow.

Lastly, a post hole auger, for well under a thousand bucks, can do a lot of useful hole preparation.

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, DGrenke!

How deep is your frost in BC? Just wondering about the footing depths & and plumbing/irrigation lines you will be running. The B-Series (or something of similar capability/capacity in another color) sounds about right to me for the tasks that you have described.

I ended up finally getting a backhoe, which I had planned on having from day 1, after putting off a lot of jobs for 7 years. Around here, hiring them out is very expensive, and renting equipment requires that your crystal ball can tell you what the weather will be and that there won't be any "baby melt downs", or other, unintended surprises to prolong the job, past your rental agreement. Besides, I'd rather do it myself.

As you have discovered, to get the additional capabilities that bigger & heavier tractors offer, you trade off agility and maneuverability. On a one acre property, this means not whacking trees, buildings, fence posts, etc. with your FEL as you try to navigate in close quarters. While we're on the subject, plan your garden layout carefully, leaving room to turn around (head rows) at the ends. Plot size & planned use also suggests that you want to avoid soil compaction as much as possible, so another vote for as light a machine as possible.

Any chance you will be buying additional property in the near future? That could have a definite influence on your selection.

Good luck & let us know how it goes!

-Jim